Archive for the ‘Graffiti’ Category

She was young and beautiful standing at a bus stop nose buried in a book, when BRAN rode up on “Da Lexus” as smooth as any pimp could.

His legs were so long that he had to spread them apart so his knees wouldn’t hit the handlebars as he peddled this neon green spray painted ten-speed bike. A bike that actually had the words “Da Lexus” written in black permanent marker across its frame. His sweater and cutoff fatigues he wore were filthy with dirt and paint. His stick straight hair was twisted with bee’s wax into crusty dread locks that hung over his wire framed glasses. I remember looking at this strange event in pure amazement with BZAR URN, the proud owner of “Da Lexus”. It was at that moment that I realized how much heart my good friend had. He seemed to fear nothing. No man, beast or pretty young lady. He strolled in and out of some of the absolute worst areas of New York night after night to write his name on waiting walls. He developed intricate and demented letter styles that he painted effortlessly under pressure. He has constantly Destroyed Your Mind and mine every moment he picked up an indelible marking unit. Simply put, his graffiti is smart, layered; complex and perplexing just like him. Branos is a man filled with detailed knowledge of the wide scope of topics that interest him. He could easily break down the double twisted meanings of verses and lyrics by noted rapper Dr. Octagon and then immediately go into his thoughts and feelings on the works of Frank Lloyd Wright. An architect in his own right, I invite you to take a journey through the world of BRAN US.

Brooklyn Canarsie, early to mid 90’s. SOE P2D. A made up name that magically appeared on the walls I passed on my way to school day in and day out. His tags often were followed by cryptic messages that expressed his state of mind at the moment which were sometimes thoughtful and other times completely outrageous. Today, most of his unique tags and throw-ups have long disappeared leaving him a relative unknown in today’s modern graffiti world. Besides these few images in this post, I have no documentation of his work. Only vivid memories that I wish I could take pictures of to share with you. He was a real draftsman with a unique vision that he tapped into early in his life. He was never a model citizen, but I always respected his work in the graffiti arena and out. Thinking about it now, he might have been the first “real” artist I ever met. He was never afraid to just do his thing whether it was right or wrong. Anyway, keep on keeping on SOE P2D, and be safe.